As Bottles Call My Name

Chapter 11

All at once, the crowd became a blur. I couldn't think straight as my mind flooded with panic. I struggled to pry his hands off my mouth, but the effort was completely useless.

He was too strong.

I glanced up and tried to see what was going on, but the only thing I noticed was an tunnel up ahead. A few tears escaped my eyes as I saw the tattoo of a raven on the man's arm.

As we reached the filthy alley. I was thrown onto the ground.

"Alex," I cried. "What the fuck! Let go of me you-"

He muffled me with his hand once again and whisper yelled, "Shh! Dammit, Charlotte, stop squirming! It's no use. Just stop and listen to me!"

I was prepared to scream at him once more, but I saw the fury in his eyes and immediatly shut up. It was silent for a moment, except for my quiet sobs.

In one forceful motion he put his hands around my neck, leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. I was screaming bloody murder but I doubted anyone heard.

This went on for a minute or so. I didn't know what to do, I was paralyzed with fear. I was almost to the point of praying.

I didn't dare kiss him back. But I didn't move either. Either way, he wouldn't leave me alone. But his forceful, rough kiss was making me cry out in emotional and physical pain.

He jerked backward and once again, put one of his hands on my mouth, trying to avoid me drawing any attention to us. "Listen, Charlotte! Stop crying! God, just shut up!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, but still couldn't completely stop my uncontrollable wailing. "Charlotte," he continued. "I want you. I want you with me. I never want you out of my sight again. Ha, you're mine, Charlie. Nothing you could do. So, I think it would be in both of our best interests if you just went with it. Okay?"

I shut my eyes and just wished I would die at that moment. His fingernails were digging into my face and it was beginning to bleed.

He reached up my shirt with his other hand and gripped one of my breasts, making my cry even more, soaking my shirt and his hand with my tears. He was about to do something else, when all at once, he was ripped off of me, and his nails scratched my face. I couldn't really see who did it because the tunnel was so dark, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get out of there.

My cries were very audible now, and it was worse that they were echoing down the tunnel. that his hand was off of my face. I didn't know what to do, so I just started running.

I had just taken a mere few steps away from the now knocked out Alex when a pair of very muscular arms wrapped around me from behind. "Stop." a man's voice said. "I am not going to hurt you."

I got goosebumps when I heard this man's voice, it was so deep and beautiful, almost melodic.

I froze when he said this. My sobs stopped somewhat as I waited for him to say something else but he didn't. He just slowly unwrapped his arms from around me and began to walk alongside me with one arm around my waist.

I just awkwardly walked toward the light of the tunnel, which was getting nearer and nearer.  We were close to the light now so that if I looked at this man's face, I could clearly see his features.

However, I decided not to, because I viewed this man as the man who saved me, so I didn't want his appearance to frighten me or anything.

As we emerged from the tunnel, I managed to croak out a quiet "Thank you, for, helping me."

The man bowed but didn't say anything else, and turned away to walk in the other direction that I had to go. I looked up slightly so I could see the man from behind as he walked away. He walked in his own way, and who knows? He could be very attractive- he certainly looks that way from behind.

I gasped very loudly when I officially came to my senses and realized that I recognized that man, even from behind.

He had short, dark hair with gauged ears, and his arms were covered in tattoos, and his shorts exposed even a few calf tattoos, too.

He had his hands in his pockets, but he was getting dangerously far for me to try this.

I would yell his name, then duck into the tunnel, but I would see if he turned. This was to make sure it was him.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, "Matt!" then hurriedly ducked into the tunnel. I peeked around the wall of the tunnel, sure enough finding M. Shadows standing there, looking around.

He finally just shrugged and proceeded to walk away.

I then noticed that my heart was beating out of my chest, and that the whole reason I came out here was to get a drum cart, and that my friends were probably worried sick and I was most likely going to be late.

I stood up and immediatly began sprinting back toward the crowd. The crowd wasn't nearly as dense as it had been before- probably because the event was about to start.

The sun was lower in the sky, but it was still hotter than hell, and it was not a good temperature to be running through a crowded parking lot.

I wiped the sweat from my brow as I stood on my tiptoes, trying to spot another cart. I finally found one that, lucky for me, was somewhat near to where our van was parked.

I cautiously moved through the parking lot and to the cart. When I reached it, I pushed it as fast as I could back to the van.

There was no sign of my friends, so I just, as fast as I could go, opened the van and dragged all of my drums onto the cart. I slammed the van door and began to push the cart, remembering to pick my drumsticks off of the ground.

I heard my name being called, so I looked around for someone who would call me. A wave of nerves went through me as I remembered the incident with M. Shadows. Like, what?

I erased the thoughts out of my mind as Megan approached, holding papers and passes. "Here!" She said, pulling the pass over my head.

"This'll let us in free. Since we're all girls, and we're under twenty, we get a free pass! Fucking awesome, yeah?"

I nodded and just proceeded to walk fastly behind my cart. Her facial expression turned to stone as she jogged next to me. "Charles, we were all completely worried! You were taking so long, so we had to go ahead without you so we could get our nametags and stuff. Oh! That reminds me,"

She pulled a sticker off a sheet of paper and stuck it onto my shirt. It said, "Charlotte from Death's Charity Case."

"Anyway." She continued. "What happened?"

I shook my head. "Just.... a lot of things.... I don't really want to talk about it."

She nodded and just looked ahead, not really understanding but just accepting the fact that I didn't want to talk, and knew I had a valid excuse.

"It's not healthy to hold in your emotions like that Charlotte." she said.

"What do you mean?" I said, instantly trying to lighten my mood.

"You can talk to me whenever you like, is what I mean. I know something happened back there, and you don't have to tell me now, but later."

I nodded, desperately wanting to enjoy the nice weather and the event we were at. The sun was lowering and the sky was darkening and the day was approaching sunset.

I just wanted to change the conversation.

"So, Megan. Are you excited to meet your dad?"